The Loeb-Leopold case - The Clarence Darrow Collection

The Loeb-Leopold Case
— " first suggested that they get a girl. Then they
considered half a dozen boys, any one of them would
do, that they were physically small enough to be
easily handled."
" One who was physically small enough to be
easily handled, whose parents were extremely
wealthy, and would have no difficulty or disinclina-
tion to pay ransom money."
What is the motive? All the way through this
report, all the way through the confessions, money,
ransom, wealth.
" Since they planned to kidnap a boy who was
known to them, because it would be easy to lure him
into their automobile, they felt that it was neces-
sary to kill him at once to avoid any possible identi-
fication o(f themselves by the victim should he
escape or their plans go awry."
That is the motive here. The kidnaping was
planned for ransom. They wanted the money first,
and they were going to kidnap a boy to get the
money. Then, to make sure they were picking the
right fellow, whose folks were wealthy and who
could pay the ransom, they had to pick a boy they
knew and who knew them. Then the motive for the
murder was their own self-preservation. You do
not have to take my word for it; take the word of
the doctors hired by the defense who say the boys
told them that, themselves.
Was this killing done, as we have been asked to
believe, by the defense, merely for the thrill, your
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